Relationship between Spouses in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

1069 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The portrayal of women in Shakespeare's plays

In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are initially portrayed as an intimate and caring couple. In the beginning, the infatuated Macbeth puts his wife on a pedestal (which is unusual in Jacobean the era) and continuously addresses her with words of endearment. Lady Macbeth on the other hand appears to be stronger willed and more decisive, focusing solemnly on murdering Duncan. However, as the play progresses the audience witness surprising changes in the relationship. The guilt from murdering Duncan torments and disintegrates Lady Macbeth, making Macbeth the stronger of the two. Eventually Macbeth becomes so unattached from his wife that her failing mental health, or even her death, fails to rekindle his affections for her.
Our initial glimpse of Macbeth and Lady Macbeths’ relationship, through Macbeth’s letter in Act 1 Scene 5, not only reveals that they have an affectionate relationship, but more significantly that they have an equal relationship with complete trust in each other. In his letter, Macbeth describes Lady Macbeth as his ‘dearest partner of greatness’. Referring to her as his ‘dearest’ shows his love and desire for her and the word ‘partner’ expresses his respect for her- at this stage she is his greatest confidant. By including the witches’ prophecies Macbeth, is showing great trust in his wife as this content is treasonous. It is ironic that Macbeth calls Lady Macbeth his ‘partner of greatness’ because when he eventually achieves ‘greatness’ by becoming the King, he isolates himself from her and no longer treats her as his ‘partner’. ...

... middle of paper ...

...gether, like Romeo and Juliette, therefore this lone suicide by Lady Macbeth exemplifies how love is absent in this relationship.
In conclusion, the relationship starts strongly but rapidly declines after Macbeth becomes King. Macbeth, who once heralded his wife ‘my dearest partner’, transforms to the point that he showed no remorse when Lady Macbeth committed suicide. This disastrous ending to the relationship can serve as a reminder to Shakespeare’s readers that wrongfully achieving anything will bring along dire consequences. In this case regicide was committed in order to obtain Kingship; this would have been complimentary to the Shakespearean King (King James 1), as he was under constant fear of regicide himself. Had Macbeth disregarded the witches’ prophecies and remained loyal to the king, he and Lady Macbeth may have enjoyed a long and content life together.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Sheila and Lady Macbeth´s Relationships with Their Husbands

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this essay I will be comparing Sheila and lady Macbeth's relationship to their husband, at the start of the play, Sheila and Gerald have known each other for some time, and they are here celebrating their engagement in which Sheila is really happy with, in the middle she starts to gain some power and by the end she is fully in power and tells her family what to do. Gerald comes from a rich, powerful, well-respected family. At the start of Macbeth, lady Macbeth is in control of the relationship, she starts as the man of the relationship to typical Jacobean women as she suicides and kill herself at the end.

    Read More

  • Ambition in Macbeth

    1798 Words  | 4 Pages

    The relation of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth takes a few turns throughout the play. It starts with Lady Macbeth being in control and dominating Macbeth. Then suddenly Macbeth turns into an unhesitant man, who gets accustomed to killing and getting his own way. The dire changes in the characters affect the couple’s relation extremely.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth The Real Power Behind the Throne

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lady Macbeth takes the role of the dominant partner in the beginning of the play, by acting as the real power behind the throne. For example, it is easily recognized that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are opposite in many ways (Scott 236). He is weak, indecisive, and takes on the traditional female role of the marriage; she is strong, decisive, and takes on the traditional male role. One place in the play where Macbeth’s character is shown is Act I, Scene 5, Lines 15-17. She says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promis’d : yet do I fear thy nature / Is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.” This is just after Lady Macbeth receives the letter from Macbeth. It is also important to notice that when Macbeth’s first thoughts of killing Duncan appear, he is scared. After he commits the murder, Macbeth says, “To know my deed, ‘twere best not know myself ” ( 2. 2. 72 ). Knowing that he has committed such a vile act makes him uncomfortable. It will be difficult to act innocent and deal with his guilt.

    Read More

  • The Insecurity of Shakespeare's Macbeth

    458 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the beginning of the play Macbeth showed his love for Lady Macbeth in many different ways. He told her his feelings toward her "My dearest love" (act I, scene v, l 58). Macbeth listens to what Lady Macbeth has to say, and takes her advice into consideration every time he makes a decision. He also has great love for her and tries his best to make her happy no matter what it takes.  Lady Macbeth convinced Macbeth that he wasn't a man unless he went through with the murder of Duncan. She threatens his manhood by saying

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth- Character Changes Throughout The Play

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    As Macbeth becomes less dependent on his wife, she loses more control. She loses control of her husband, but mostly, of herself, proving her vacillating truth. Lady Macbeth’s character gradually disintegrates through a false portrayal of unyielding strength, an unsteady control of her husband and shifting involvement with supernatural powers.Throughout the duration of play Lady Macbeth’s truly decrepit and vulnerable nature is revealed. Lady Macbeth has been the iron fist and authority icon for Macbeth, yet deep down, she never carried such traits to begin with. This duality in Lady Macbeth’s character plays a huge role in planting the seed for Macbeth’s downfall and eventual demise.

    Read More

  • The Manipulative Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles- Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    The untraditional marriage between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth shows how a woman takes charge of her marriage, showing she is the woman of the house. She is manly and all powerful over her husband. Lady Macbeth proves to be the untraditional woman of Scotland, she differs from the role of a traditional woman because she is not feminine as a woman should be, in fact she wishes she was a man. She tells the spirits to, “ unsex me here”. ( Enotes… unsex me here). This pertains to the theme of gender roles because it demonstrates how Lady Macbeth wishes it was a man. She’s manlier than her husband, that show the untraditional woman. Lady Macbeth feels her husband is to nice, friendly, and full of milk “ worrying her is to full of the milk of human kindness to take Duncan’s throne” ( Gale. Par 3). She worries that Macbeth has cold feet. He’s afraid of the consequence that will follow the murder; She planed the murder herself, because she didn’t believe he could do with out her help. She worries he is to manly to snatch the crown. So Lady Macbeth is manly enough to plan the murder, but wants Macbeth to commit the murder. ...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Relationship Between Macbeth And Lady Macbeth

    1809 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Throughout the play of "Macbeth" written by William Shakespeare there is an on-going relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This relationship is one of the functions of the play that creates most of the actions, reactions, moods, feelings and attitudes. Macbeth's relationship with his wife was not always great. This is shown in one of there conversations; MACBETH: "We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon. "(Macbeth,I,vii, )

    Read More

  • The Transformation of the Relationship Between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth appears to be supportive of her husband’s aims/goals. Their relationship is like any other at first, loving and supportive. Macbeth refers to Lady Macbeth as “my dearest partner of greatness” (I, v, 9). The letter which Macbeth sends to Lady Macbeth as soon as he heard he had been made Thane of Cawdor reveals his closeness to his wife, the witch’s prediction “th...

    Read More

  • Free Macbeth Essays: The Murder of King Duncan

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is a very loving wife to Macbeth and she wants to do anything she can for him to achieve his goals. She just takes it a little too far, and she puts too much pressure on Macbeth to commit crimes that he is not sure he wants to do. After Macbeth sends her a letter about the witches’ premonitions, Lady Macbeth is no longer the sweet innocent lady we expect her to be. She turns into a person who is just as ambitious as her husband and she wants to do whatever it takes to help him get Duncan out of the way. She even goes to the point of calling Macbeth a coward, and mocking his bravery when he fails to complete the job. She is even willing to do it herself (plant the bloody knife with the guard). Lady Macbeth is constantly putting the pressure on Macbeth to do things that he is not sure about. She almost turns into a bully who dares Macbeth to go out and do evil things. She even says in a soliloquy that she wants to be released of all her morals and values so that she can help him commit these crimes.

    Read More

  • To what extent is Lady Macbeth responsible for the murder of King Duncan and the downfall of Macbeth?

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth sees Lady Macbeth as a equal. This is shown when Macbeth writes to her in Act 1 Scene 5; ’This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness’. The use of the word dearest, meaning love and companionship, shows that Macbeth has the up most respect for Lady Macbeth. He values her opinion on matters of his future, something that the audience a...

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Macbeth tells the story of a general who commits regicide in order to become king. Early in the play, Macbeth is conflicted as to weather or not he wants to kill his kinsman the king. In the first two acts Macbeth is not portrayed as a ruthless killer; he is a sympathetic character who succumbs to the provocation of his wife and a prophecy foretold by three mysterious witches. In contrast, Lady Macbeth is a manipulative, immoral woman. Her ambition is so strong that she is willing to do anything to see her husband succeed. However, in the third act things begin to change. The death of the king and lord and lady Macbeth’s rise to power catalyze profound transformation in their personalities.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Literary Analysis

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lady Macbeth’s relationship with her husband is not as patriarchal as is seen in traditional representations of husband and wife dynamics during this time period. For example, she says, “To alter favor ever is to fear/ Leave all the rest to me” to Macbeth (I.v.72-73). She tells him what to do and how to do it rather than the more accustomed reverse. She is also taking a position of authority by doing things for herself. Lady Macbeth criticizes her husband, saying, “Wouldst thou have that/ Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life/ And live a coward in thine own esteem?” (I.vii.41-43). She calls him a coward, easily insulting him without repercussions and with the knowledge that he won’t do anything because of it. After Macbeth kills Duncan and is in shock of the crime he has just committed, Lady Macbeth says, “Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead/ Are but as pictures. ‘Tis the eye of childhood/ That fears a painted devil” (II.ii.53-55). In this scene, she is taking charge of the situation by ignoring her husband’s inability to fully comprehend what he has just don...

    Read More

  • Role Reversal of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

    1578 Words  | 4 Pages

    He refers to his wife as ‘my dearest partner of greatness’, signifying his deep love and admiration for her. Knowing his wife would like the idea of him becoming King, which would bring with the title much power and wealth, Macbeth offers the prophecy to her like a gift. When Lady Macbeth reads the letter she doe...

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth's Role in Macbeth's Downfall

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    The relationship between Macbeth and his wife is strong. There is much trust between the two and there is also openness. However, the two butt heads and have opposing views many times. Even so, it is clear that Lady Macbeth is the dominant person in the couple. She is one of the major driving forces of Macbeth. This is shown when they are plotting the murder of Duncan. Macbeth asks her, ?If we should fail?? and she strongly replies, ?We fail! / But screw your courage to the sticking-place, / And we?ll not fail.? Whenever he is backing down she pushes him forward again. This is where a major flaw of our protagonist comes in. Macbeth cannot escape the trap of listening to his wife. He is subject to her commands and he knows it.

    Read More

More about Relationship between Spouses in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Open Document